A weekend at Valley Ridge will leave you buzzing for a long time. There is nothing like being in the midst of creative energy. And there is nothing like Valley Ridge. Imagine a picture perfect setting, gracious hosts, enthusiastic artists gathering from here and there, a light-filled dynamite studio (where each artist gets their own table), and two whole days appointed for making cool stuff. Oh, and I'm not one to gush about food, but Kathy and Bill present the best lunches. (How about that tomato and basil soup? swooon!) And fabulous dinners if you're the instructor!! It's the ultimate destination. Icing on the cake for this weekend: Mom joined in the fun (again!)
Backstage Pass is a process class disguised as a project. I like to teach process but most students like to leave with a project. They made assemblages while simultaneously developing and recording ideas on pages of a journal. I really wanted them to learn what a valuable tool your journal can be as you work on anything. They totally got it. They ROCKED!
Look at these girls so hard at work. Can you believe I didn't even play the music I brought? It's usually a good ice-breaker to loosen up the room but this crowd didn't need it. The studio was radiating with good vibrations and chatter, we didn't even get to the music.
Check out my Mom and her assemblage - filled with sentimental meaning and significant keepsakes. And how about Debby with her groovy jeans? This class wasn't about spray but it's such a big part of what I do right now that I had to share it. We had a spray station outside where everyone got to try out the addictiveness of spray painting with stencils. I had on my sprayed denim to show them how cool it is to paint on fabric. So Debby hops off to the car for a spare pair of jeans and paints herself a souvenir. See post below for my delinquent behavior on someone else's property.
Kathy, proprietor of Valley Ridge, and resident fairy expert. Goony face me, and Mom who drove form Minnesota for a visit. She had also come two years ago and we made her take the class. H.C.I.T.?
Apparently I had the goonface pose for the weekend. Actually, you are supposed to lean forward a little so your double chin doesn't show....but I don't think it's required to bug out your eyes too. Here we are with Judy, who you met earlier this year on my blog. I credit this blog for becoming friends with Judy - she and Mom were travel buddies last weekend. More H.C.I.T. Aren't you glad I didn't pose with each student so you'd have to suffer through more cheesy mugs?
Here's another photos of the group taken from the other side of the final presentation table. Great work gang! It was a total gas. Seeing old friends and making new ones. Can't get much better.
And do you love when this happens? I'm blathering away about something and before you know it there was an OOPS and a lesson to be learned. Solving problems can teach us the best lessons. Thats' why workshops can be so rewarding. While we are working out details on our own pieces we see and hear the processes being tested and tried within the studio. It's an environment where techniques and tricks are shared, materials too! If you are on the fence about taking a workshop, fall on the side of YES! And take one at Valley Ridge if you can. They have a stellar line-up of instructors every year.
Thanks to Kathy for a great experience, and to all my students who rocked the art. Fellow bloggers Sue Pieper and Andrew Borloz and Bernadette DeMoro (who came from Texas!) and Xanthe Walker have posted about the weekend, and Lisa Cook will soon has too. Go see!
As if last weekend wasn't enough excitement......HIM in one week. Squeeeeeeeee.
